Running
by Eat Your Heart Out Darling
Summary: Three weeks ago, a figure from Lucy's past trapped her in her former home. Now, she has the chance to get out; but what will she do to get back to Fairytail? And will a deal with the devil crumble any wishes of ever getting back? Will it cast her into a life of running? But what if a certain group of wizards from Fairytail has made it their mission to track her down?
1. Prolouge

**Hi guys! So...this is just the prologue of the story; I already have the first chapter written, but I just wanted to see if anyone was interested. Hopefully at least one person is, as that would make me happy, but like I said I have the first chapter, which I'll no doubt be posting soon.**

**Enjoy!**

**Prologue **

I wipe my hand across the window pane, attempting to clear away the water that has condensed on the glass. After a few attempts I manage to clear away a small section of it, just enough to glimpse the blizzard that rages on outside; for once I'm actually happy to be indoors. Seconds later the window fogs up again, cutting off my view of the outside.

I've always wondered why glass does that; fogging up on the inside when it get cold. I assume it's the cold air hitting the warmed glass, melting against the window; of course, the room inside has to be warm for that to happen.

This room feels the opposite; despite the fireplace crackling behind me and the long blanket wrapped around my shoulders, it feels cold and empty.

I feel cold and empty.

Something softly drifts across the back of my hand, stealing my attention from the window. I glance down at it, my eyes zeroing in on the bright pink tattoo that sits on my pale skin. My finger rests on the outer edge of the design, faintly running across the lines; I must have been tracing it without realizing.

I sigh and wrap the blanket tighter around my body, trying to ignore the pull of my heart at the sight of the pink drawing.

Three weeks. Three weeks since I got the letter from the "husband" my father had set up for me, asking for my presence at my old home.

Three weeks since he trapped me here with a magical barrier that prevents me from stepping foot outside of the Heartfilia Estate.

Three weeks since I've been able to contact or use my spirits.

Three weeks since I've seen anyone from Fairy Tail.

Three weeks since I never said goodbye to Natsu.

Three weeks of gut-crushing regret.

**Refer to author's note above. Also follow or review if you like the sneak peak!**


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

I throw my arms out, attempting to balance myself on the darkened brick pathway. After nearly a year of walking along it, it would be terrible to fall into the water at this point; especially now, when I would probably turn into an ice cube once I hit the water.

As my apartment comes into view I hop onto the pavement. After a long day of trying to find a job and ending up with nothing, snuggling into my bed and going to sleep sounds like a pretty good idea at the moment.

I skip to the door and walk inside, savoring the blast of heat that hits me; for some reason, I didn't think that it could get very cold during the winter when I moved here. Now here I am, stuck in skirts and short sleeves until I find some kind of clothes shop around here. Lucky me.

Once I get into the hallway I don't bother turning on any of the lights, instead choosing to walk to my bedroom in darkness. I've lived here so long that I know the layout like the back of my hand; navigating it in the dark is no big deal.

By the time I've gotten halfway there, I've stripped out of my shirt and matching skirt and placed my keys and whip on my desk. I silently walk over to my drawers, shivering as cool air blows over my bare stomach.

I grab a random shirt and throw it over my head before pulling my hair out of it's ponytail and slipping the hair bow on my wrist. Suddenly a cool draft passes over me, blowing the edges of my hair up and away from my face. I shiver and wrap my arms around myself.

Why the heck is it so cold in here? I know my rents due soon, but they've never cut off my heat, especially in only one area. I scan the room, trying to find anything out of the ordinary, when my eyes lock onto the open window beside my bed. Ugh, did those idiots seriously not think to shut my window when they left today?! I swear, one day I'm going to kill those two.

I groan and hop onto the bed, mindful of the giant mass of overs on the opposite side. I knee walk across my cold sheets before grabbing the top of the window and slamming it shut.

I turn and let myself fall down onto the bed, not even caring that I forgot to put on shorts; oh well, my shirt's long enough to cover my underwear and it's not like anyone's coming over.

I smash my head against the pillow and curl up into a ball on my side. I reach an arm out and grip the edge of the comforter, attempting to pull the covers over my cold body.

Or, at least trying to.

They catch on something, barely moving an inch. What the heck? Confused, I pull again, but only get the same results. Ugh come on, I want to go to sleep! Why does the world hate me?

I give it one last big tug, finally getting a foot or two of the blanket loose from whatever's holding it; I guess that'll have to do. Right now I'm too lazy to figure out what it's catching on.

I wrap the (surprisingly warm) covers around me and stick my head under; wow, it's like pulling them right out of the dryer!

I let out a small shriek as something suddenly wrap around my stomach from behind; they lock around my waist and pull me backwards, towards the mass of covers. Oh crap oh crap oh crap THERE'S SOMETHING IN MY BED.

My back hits something warm and hard, and it takes me a few seconds to realize that it's a chest. Correction, someONE in my bed.

I quickly turn over and pull my face out from beneath the covers, searching for any indication as to who the heck is sleeping in my bed. Thanks to the moonlight filtering in from my window, I catch a small glimpse of light pink tuffs of hair sticking out from beneath the blankets.

Natsu.

Of course HE would be the one sneaking into my bed.

How the heck did he even get here before me? He was fighting Gray when I left he guild!

"Natsu!" I whisper/shout, placing my palms on his chest and pushing. Right now I'm so not in the mood to yell, so hopefully he just wakes up. "Natsu wake up! Get out of my bed!"

Unfortunately this does nothing except make him tighten his grip and pull me closer, smashing our chests together so that his head rests in the crook of my neck. My heart begins to beat faster and louder, and I worry that he can hear it.

"Five more minutes, Happy." He mumbles again my neck, sending goose bumps down my spine as his voice vibrates against my skin. Aww, sleeping Natsu is so cute…wait a minute did he just confuse me with the cat!?

I open my mouth to start yelling at him, but quickly shut it as he shifts and snuggles closer. My face heats up as he buries his head against my, tickling my cheek with locks of his hair. Wow, I'd never take Natsu as a snuggling type of person.

Lately I've felt weird around Natsu. Not weird like I hate him, but weird as in a fluttery feeling in my belly; whenever he comes near me the fluttering gets bigger, until I can't help but smile at him. Does this is mean….does this mean I'm starting to like Natsu? As more of a friend?

I sure hope not.

No one else knows about my feelings, at least at the moment, but Levi has her suspicions and every so often I get a knowing look from Mira; one that makes my face flame up and have to walk out of the room.

I give one last final push against his chest, but the tight bands he calls arms remain locked around me. Well, doesn't look like I'm going anywhere soon; I might as well try to get some sleep.

I sigh and hesitantly relax, slowly letting my arms grow slack between us and laying my head against his shoulder. Hmm, this is actually kind of comfortable. With all that muscle, you'd think it would be like lying on a rock, but it almost feels like a pillow; my head fits in the crook of his neck perfectly.

Wow, he's like a giant furnace; I can already feel my body temperature going up. I smile and close my eyes, savoring the feeling of our two bodies together; this moment is actually kinda perfect. Maybe liking Natsu isn't such a bad thing; I'd love to do this more often.

Did I just say that? Ok, forget I said that.

Too soon I feel Natsu shifting, and I freeze as I feel him turn his head slightly. His body tenses up beside me; oh crap.

"Lucy? He asks groggily, and I feel him slowly looking around. Double crap; I can't let him think I was enjoying this.

…even though I was.

But I can't let him think that!

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" I scream while pushing him away, trying to cover up my embarrassment. "WHY ARE YOU IN MY BED!?" His arms immediately retract, as though I've burned, er, iced him, and in his confused state I'm able to push him off of the bed; thankfully it's dark, or he would've seen my probably tomato red cheeks.

"I-I didn't know, I fell asleep!" He stammers after I hear the thud of him landing on the floor. I hear a muffled, high pitched "aye!" and assume he landed on Happy. Great, so that cat was here too. Wait, is Natsu stuttering?

"WHY WERE YOU EVEN IN HERE!? YOU CAN'T KEEP BREAKING INTO MY APARTMENT!" I yell, wrapping the covers tightly around me. Natsu slowly stands up, still slightly asleep.

He brushes a few pieces of hair away from his face. "You didn't have to push me off the bed!" He yells back.

"I wouldn't have had to push you if you weren't in the bed in the first place!"

Happy slowly rises behind him, blinking in the darkness. "What's going on?" He looks from Natsu to me. "Why are your cheeks red Lucy?" He asks innocently. "Are you…blushing?"

My hands fly to cover my cheeks; how did he even see that? Did he develop freaking night vision or something!? "Shut up! Get out! Both of you!" I yell over the roaring in my ears. I jump off of the bed and quickly usher them out of the room, ignoring anything else that Happy says.

When we reach the door I open it as they walk outside, accidently letting a blast of cold air in. I wrap my arms around myself and curl my toes, wishing we were back in my bed.

…I. Wishing I were back in bed.

Ok who am I kidding; I wish we were both back in bed.

Natsu turns around mid-stride and flashes me his signature grin, making my heart skip a beat. "Bye Luce! See you tomorrow!" He yells.

"Aye!"

I roll my eyes and close the door, leaning heavily against it once I've locked it. That was way too close; I almost got caught snuggling with Natsu by Natsu. If he finds out that I have any type of feelings at all for him and he doesn't feel the same way…boom, there goes our friendship.

I sigh, blowing the hair away from my eyes in the process. I tuck a few loose strands behind my ear as I begin to walk back to my room. Suddenly something makes a crinkling sound, and I stop and look down. Great, what is it now?!

Looking down in the dim light, I lift my foot and notice a small letter lying on the carpet. That's weird; I must've missed it when I came in before since the lights were off. What's weird is that I've never gotten any mail since I moved here.

I lean down and pick up the crème colored envelope. _Lucy Heartfilia _is written in a loopy script on the front; well, that eliminates a prank letter from Natsu. Who would send me a letter? The only people that know where I live are those at the guild, and they wouldn't bother sending me anything.

Curious, I flip it over stick the edge of my nail under the flap and pull it open. I pull out a small sheet of paper with a note written in the same script as on the front. I turn it towards the light, a feeling of dread running through me as I attempt to read the cursive lettering.

_Dear Miss Heartfilia,_

_As you may know, the Heartfilia estate has been out of commission for some time now. It has only recently come to our attention that there are certain matters of the estate that further require your assistance. As of the moment, Jude Heartfilia, the most recent owner of the estate, cannot be contacted and is not expected to be reachable in the near future. As his daughter, you are the sole available owner and the only one that is currently available to discuss these matters. As they are indeed urgent, we request that you come immediately to the Heartfilia estate; if needed, your meals will be provided by a temporary staff, as we cannot be certain how long our meeting with take place. We hope to see you alive and well soon._

_Sincerely,_

_Duke Sawar Junelle_

Great; even when I put that place behind me, it keeps coming back to haunt me. What matters could possibly be so important that I have to come immediately? It's nearly an hour away!

I sigh and rub my temples; if I go there tonight, I can probably have whatever needs to be dealt with dealt with by tomorrow, but I'll get zero sleep. If I go tomorrow, I probably won't be able to go to the guild all day, but I'll get a night's worth of sleep.

Crap.

I run back to my room, stripping out of the night shirt and grabbing a regular shirt out of the drawers; the things I do for people.

Sawar Junelle…why does that name sound so familiar? I know I've met him before, but I can't think of where…maybe he's one of my father's old friends. No, that's not it; ugh, I hate when this happens.

I pull on the warmest pair of shorts I have and hook my keys and whip to two of the loops before pulling on my shoes. Satisfied with my outfit I cast one last glance back at my oh-so-comfortable bed before running downstairs and out the door.

A wave of cold air hits me as I step outside, blowing my blonde hair away from my face. I wrap my arms around myself, trying to retain at least some body heat. As I step onto the pavement, I look in the direction that Natsu went and bite my lip.

Should I go after him and tell him where I'm going? He didn't leave that long ago, so I could probably catch him; maybe he'll want to come with me. The trip would be way better with him with me.

I shake my head, throwing away the thought; no, actually that's a terrible idea; these are my problems, I don't want to bother him with them. Besides, I've already kicked him out; he probably won't even notice I'm gone until I'm back.

Without a second thought I take off running down the road, in the direction of the train station; hopefully the trains are still running.

Houses and apartments pass by me in a blur; the quicker I get to the trains, the quicker I can get on and go to sleep. Or at least take a nap or something. If I sprint all the way there without taking a break, I can make it there in a few minutes.

My breath comes out in small puffs as goose bumps make their way up my legs; what I wouldn't kill to have Gray's immunity to the cold right now. I'm aware of the jingling of my keys as I take each step and begin to contemplate calling Horologium, but decide against it; I've already called him too many times already just asking for a ride away from the cold. There's no need to bother him now anyways, he'd only be here for a few minutes.

As I round the last corner the train station comes into view. The station is devoid of all but one train, meaning that they've all either left for the night or are on their way back. Hopefully this one is about to leave.

I run up to the schedule posted on one of the columns in the station, a light brown sign that advertises the daily train stops.

"Hmm…" I mumble to myself as I run my finger down the list of trains. The one that sits on the tracks is apparently heading to some random town in the north, one that I don't recall ever vising, but the name does sound very familiar….

Oh! The town is about ten minutes away from the estate; I can just ride there and then walk and be there in no time!

I pump my fist in the air before jogging over to the ticket booth, where a teenage guy leans heavily against the side wall. Though his eyes are closed, he blinks them open as I walk over.

"Hi, I want one ticket for the train over there." I say, pointing to the lone train. The guy lazily looks over in the direction I'm pointing and checks which train I'm talking about before reaching under the table in front of him.

"That'll be ten jewel." He says, his voice thick with sleep. My jaw nearly falls open.

Ten jewel!? What is that crap!? Ten jewel for a _train?! _This dude is totally ripping me off! It's never been ten jewel before!

I huff in annoyance before reaching down to and digging through my key pouch to find the money. After about ten seconds of searching I pull out the only jewel I managed to grab from the apartment.

Nine jewel.

Crap.

My heart drops and I recount the money; maybe I counted wrong and I actually have ten.

A recount reveals that my original estimate was right, and I'm one jewel short. Hmm, maybe I can talk him into letting it drop; it's only one jewel. I look up at the guy and gulp. "Uh…well…you see…I really need to ride this train tonight but I only have nine jewel and-"

"The ticket costs ten jewel; buy it or get lost." He interrupts, clearly growing impatient. Well then.

How rude! Ugh, what I wouldn't give to slap this guy right now. You'd think he would be required to be nice to customers.

I bite my lip and look back to the train, which is only five minutes from leaving; not enough time to run back and grab more money. Crap, what am I going to do?

I glance back at the guy just as his eyes snap upwards and back to my face; that perv! Was he seriously checking me out while I'm over her panicking about missing the train!? I'm about to forget the whole thing and go back home when an idea hits me.

Wait…maybe I can use that.

Flashing the guy a smile, I lower my hand and discretely pull down my shirt, lowering the neckline. I slowly push my arms together to perk up my boobs and thrust my chest forward before flipping my hair back.

The guy's eyes lock on my chest as I blink at him. "I know…" I trail off and look down, as if I'm ashamed. "It's just…." I look up at him through my eyelashes. "I really need to get on that train tonight and it'll all be ruined if I don't." I say softly, trying my best to sound heartbroken while puffing out my lower lip and sucking in air; maybe he'll think I'm about to cry.

The guy lasts for maybe five seconds before he blinks out of his daze. "Yea…sure; it's only one jewel. It is really late anyways." He swallows loudly before taking my money off of the counter and sliding my ticket under the window. "Go ahead."

I grab the ticket and suck my lip back in before taking off towards the train. "Thanks!" I yell cheerily over my shoulder while pulling my shirt back up. Ugh, I hate doing that; but a girl's got to do what a girl's got to do.

I approach the conductor stationed at the train door and hand him my ticket before walking through the doors. Rows of dark, empty seats lay ahead of me. Wow, I don't think I've ever seen this train empty before; it's almost creepy.

Suddenly a chill runs through me, and I bring my arms up to wrap them around myself. It doesn't matter though; this chill wasn't the kind from the cold. It was more of a terrible feeling chill. What's that about? I look over my shoulder, but nothing looks out of the ordinary; the station remains empty. No danger, no one following me….

I shrug and mentally slap myself for being so paranoid.

I must be going crazy.

**And that's chapter 1. Favorite, review, follow, or just read. **

**Suggestions? Send me a review!**


	3. Chapter 2

**Happy holidays everyone! **

**Chapter 2**

"Miss?"

Something nudges my shoulder, breaking through the thick fog that surrounds my head. Ugh, what time is it? Where am I?

I open my eyes, but immediately squeeze them shut at the harsh light around me. After a few seconds of making sure my eyes haven't burned out of my socket, I open them a slit and look up towards the voice.

The conductor stands over me, a worried expression plastered on his face. I realize I'm lying on my side on the train chair.

"Miss? You have to wake up now; the train arrived at the station ten minutes ago." He says again. I blink and slowly sit up, brushing the hair away from my eyes. I glance around in a daze.

Huh? Are we already there? I glance out the window, where the sky is indeed much darker than before. Wow, I must have fallen asleep when I sat down; if that's true, then I just slept for an hour. I barely even remember lying down or the train starting.

I rub my eyes before stretching my arms above me and rolling my shoulders, attempting to get rid of the large knots. Note to self: don't ever fall asleep on a train seat again.

I bring my hand down to cover my mouth as I yawn. "Sorry; I didn't mean to fall asleep." I stand up, stretching my legs as I walk into the aisle (which ends up looking like a penguin walk).

The conductor gives me a sheepish smile. "That's quite alright Miss; it IS pretty late to be traveling."

I shrug. "Yea, I guess it is." I walk past him and step through the train door, into the cold night. I wrap my arms around myself and begin to walk, right as a gust of wind blows past me, whipping my hair into my face.

And this is why I keep part of my hair in a ponytail at all times. If my neck weren't in danger of freezing off if I put my hair up, I would gladly pin it behind me.

I look up and down the empty train station.

Now…if I remember correctly…the estate should be about ten minutes north of here.

I start walking what I hope is north, following the cobblestone pathway of the town. One or two shops are lit, casting a warm glow onto the road. That is, until I reach an unlit trail veering off into what looks like the middle of nowhere, into woods.

But I know better.

In order to keep the location of the estate a secret from other wizards and businesses, all roads leading there were either destroyed or built over by hundreds of trees. Looking at it from the town, you would just think that there were acres of forest and mountains. Only those that had been told the location, such as what used to be trusted business partners, or those that already live there, like me, know the correct path to get there. Without it, you'll be wandering aimlessly for hours.

I follow said path, which winds through the trees and mountainside in a snake pattern. Trees tower above me, blocking any light the moon might have given, leaving me in the pitch dark. The silence in the air only adds to my growing loneliness and unease.

The weird feeling I had earlier comes back, sending a chill down my spine. Once again I look around, searching for any kind of disturbance among the trees. I glance behind me, squinting to make out anything in the thicket.

No one's out here; with it being so quiet, they wouldn't have a chance to sneak up to me. What the heck am I feeling?

As I turn back around, my body (and especially head) smack into something. Hard.

"Oh, crap!" I yell, cupping my forehead and nose as I fall back and onto my butt with a loud "oof".

"Owww…." I attempt to rub circles on my forehead. Oh crap; I feel a major headache coming on. Did I just run into a wall?

I glance up, expecting a person, but only find a large tree trunk blocking my path. "Did I seriously just run into a tree!?" I yell, which makes me flinch and grab at my head again. Crap, I didn't realize trees were that hard. Why couldn't they be softer? Like, pillows, or something.

As my head begins to pound, I push myself off the ground and continue walking down the path, trying to put pressure on my temple. This time I don't take my eyes away from in front of me; one headache's bad enough, I don't need another one.

I wonder what "matters" I need to be at the estate for; it was lost a while ago, so there's no reason I can think of that's so important they would want me back there. There really isn't anything I'd be allowed to make a decision on anyways; I'm technically not the legal owner, so I'm pretty useless.

Wait a minute; didn't they refer to it as the Heartfilia estate in that letter? Why would they call it the Heartfilia estate if we lost it a long time ago? Wouldn't they have renamed it by now?

Suddenly coming out here alone and not telling anybody where I was going is starting to seem like a really bad mistake; why would they say Heartfilia? Maybe… maybe they were mistaken? Or thought I would recognize it by that name?

The woods suddenly open up, and I find myself standing on top of one the hills that lay on the outskirts of the estate. I desperately look behind me; is it too late to go back?

As I scan the woods, I realize that little white specks are floating through the air and condensing on the trees. I look up at the night sky, where thousands of the white specks drift down to me. One lands on my nose, stinging it with a cold prick for a few seconds.

I hold a hand out, cupping it so I catch a few of the flakes. Is this…snow? I haven't seen snow in a while; it never snows in the city and around the guild hall. If I weren't half frozen, I'd sit out here and watch it fall for a while longer.

I groan; just my luck. The one time it snows is the time that I'm stuck outside. Why can't I just catch a break!?

Well, it looks like the going back idea isn't happening; I guess I'm stuck here.

I continue walking, but only make it a few steps before a shudder racks my body, forcing me to suddenly double over. My breath comes out in gasps as the shudder travels down my spine before disappearing at my feet. What the…what's happening to me?!

It didn't hurt, more of just surprised me. Once I get over the shock, I whirl around, looking for a culprit.

The woods stare mockingly back at me, as blank as ever. "Come out!" I scream. "Show yourself!"

No one appears, and nothing moves except for the occasional snowflake fluttering across my vision.

What is happening to me? Why am I suddenly so paranoid?

Breathing heavily, I start running down the pathway to the manor that I see perched in the distance; maybe I've been in the cold too long and am starting to hallucinate or something. Yea, that's probably it; once I'm inside I'll feel a lot better.

For the first time, no one comes outside to greet me as I approach; no maids, butlers, or tutors. Usually they would have run outside, smiling and laughing about me coming home.

A bitter laugh escapes me. _Home_. This place was never home; not after mom died. It was a prison; a prison with long dresses and pretty lights that hid what was really happening inside. Looking up at the balcony above the door, I can almost see my father staring down at me disapprovingly.

Why does coming back here have to bring up such terrible memories?

I shake away my thoughts and run up the walkway and stand in front of the door, biting my lip. Do I knock? Or do I just walk inside?

I shrug and decide on the latter before pushing open the heavy oak door and walking inside the brightly lit front hallway. A gasp escapes me; everything looks just like I left it! It's like I lived here just yesterday. I thought we lost all the furniture; how did it get back here?

A chill goes down my spine; everything about it just looks w_rong. _The supposedly lost furniture, the freshly dusted paintings and various pieces of art scattered on random oak tables; it's like the manor I once knew, but now it looks like a nightmare. None of this should be here.

"Lucy!" A voice says, snapping me out of my thoughts. I look up to see a middle-aged guy, wearing a dark suit with his brown hair slicked back, walking towards me. "My, you've grown!" He smiles and stops a few feet away from me. A sickly smile makes it's way onto his face, making me want to cringe away.

Uh, do I know this guy?

Wait a minute….

I examine the guy more closely; his slick brown hair that ended in two curls on either side of his face, inhumanly rosy cheeks, dark suit with an untucked white shirt, short stature. I freeze.

Oh _crap_.

I do know this guy.

Duke Junelle.

The guy that bought the estate.

The guy I was supposed to marry.

Looking back at him, I realize he's been talking while I had my haunting realization.

"-to your liking; it took me a while to find all the original pieces, but it was worth it." He claps his hands together, with a dreamy look on his face. "Only the best for my Lucy."

Um, what?! HIS Lucy?! Um, heck no.

I better put a stop to this. "Duke Junelle-"

"Please." He says, interrupting me. "Call me Sawarr."

Ew, no. I swallow the bile rising in my throat. "Duke Junelle, you said in your letter that you had matters to discuss?" I say, trying to at least be polite, despite the fact that I feel extremely uncomfortable being this close to him.

The duke claps his hands together. Again. "Yes, the matters! Follow me." He turns and begins to walk across the huge hallway. "It concerns our wedding-"

"Wedding?!" I freeze mid-step. What the heck is he talking about? "You must be mistaken, I'm not getting married." I say.

The duke stops walking and spins around to face me. "Why of course we are; what would have put you under the impression that we weren't?" He asks, losing that stupid grin for a few seconds. I favor catching him off guard.

I shiver, but a panic starts to rise up. Does he think that we're still getting married this long after the agreement was cancelled?

"If you're referring to the marriage my father arranged over a year ago, that was called off a long time ago." I say slowly, making sure he understands what I'm saying. "I'm sorry if you were under the impression that it wasn't, but I can assure you, we aren't getting married." I say, putting my hands up. Ok, maybe that was a little rude; but this guy is scaring me a little.

The duke's eyebrows knit together as he walks over to me, but that grin makes its way across his face again. "No, Lucy, you are the one that is mistaken; we are having a wedding. The preparations are already under way and-"

"I'm not getting married to you!" I yell, beginning to get frustrated. "That marriage was annulled a long time ago!" I yell.

He chuckles. "Oh, Lucy-"

"And I wouldn't marry you anyways! I'm a teenage girl, how old are you? One hundred!?" I scream.

Ok, maybe that took it a little too far.

The duke's eye twitches. Just slightly. "I would watch your mouth, Lucy; I don't think you realize who you are talking to. As my fiancé, you should-"

"I'm not your freaking fiancé! WE-" I gesture between us. "Are not getting MARRIED!" I stop, trying to catch my breath. I compose myself slightly, slipping my frazzled hair behind my ears. "I think…it would be best if I left." I really don't want to start a fight with him right now; no matter how much this guy creeps me out, I can't tarnish the name my parents worked so hard to build up, even if we lost the company a long time ago.

I grind my teeth together. "I apologize for any misunderstanding." I spin on my heel and begin to walk towards the door. Great, I think my headache's coming back.

Ugh, and to think I came all the way out here and had to deal with this creep when I could have just stayed in bed-

My thoughts cut off as I feel a large hand encircle my wrist, pulling me to a stop. I spin around to find the duke, that creepy smile on his face.

"Please let go of my arm." I say, attempting to pull it away, but fail; his hand tightens to a bruising grip, so tight I feel like my blood circulation is being cut off. "Let. GO." I demand. I stop pulling for a few seconds before ripping my arm away, catching him off guard enough to get him to let go. I rub my wrist, which now sports a red ring where his hand was.

"You're not going anywhere." He says calmly; a glint sparks in his eye that I really don't like.

I raise an eyebrow, ready to pull my keys out at any moment. "Oh yea? Who's going to stop me? You?" I nod to his short and stubby physique.

He's not fazed. "I own you Miss Heartfilia." I feel my eyes grow wide as ice pins my joints in place as his chilling voice hits my ears. "I've owned you since you walked into this estate."

What the heck? What is he talking about? He doesn't _own _me. Nobody _owns _me. "Alright enough; you are seriously creeping me out. I'm leaving, and you can't stop me." I walk away. I tense, waiting for him to grab me again, but I don't hear him move from his spot.

"Oh, miss Heartfilia." He says, as if he's talking to a student that misbehaved. "I wish you would just calm down and help me pick out the guest list before we do anything rash." I swear my eye begins to twitch.

Ok, that's it.

I practically rip a key off of my key ring and hold it in the air above me.

"Open, gate of the maiden! Virgo!" I yell, whipping the key in front of me; this should teach him. I can have Virgo kick his butt and then we can get out of here.

Except…nothing happens.

I glance down; did I grab the wrong key? No, this is Virgo's key. What the heck!? What is happening today!?

No bells, no lights, no…Virgo.

"I said…open! Gate of the maiden! VIRGO!" I yell louder. Again, nothing happens. It almost feels like…like I can't feel any power what so ever.

I whip the key through the air. "Virgo! I'm calling you!" I yell, now becoming a little scared; why isn't she coming? If she were busy, which I'm almost positive she isn't, another spirit would at least show up in her place.

In front of me, the Duke chuckles. "Oh, Lucy; you should know you can't use your magic in here." He gestures around him.

I freeze. "What did you just say?" I glance around, looking for anything that might be blocking my magic. I can't you my magic?

"Not here, not anywhere on the estate."

What? Why can't I use magic? I've always been able to use my magic here. "And why can't I?" I ask, almost scared to hear the answer.

He claps his hands together. "Why the barrier, of course!"

That doesn't sound good. "Barrier? What barrier?!" I demand, glancing around. I didn't see any kind of barrier when I came in.

"The barrier surrounding this place; no celestial magic, no celestial beings…" He locks eyes with me. "And no Lucys are allowed to leave."

"W-what?" I say, my voice suddenly very small. What does he mean, no Lucys allowed to leave? What is that supposed to mean?

"Exactly as I said; you're not allowed to use magic or leave the premises. What more could I explain? I-"

I tune the rest of what he's saying out and look at the floor, my breath coming out ragged. I can't leave the premises? Ever?

I snap my head back up to him. "You're _lying._" I accuse him, even though a major part of me knows he's not.

The duke raises an eyebrow. "Why would I lie to you?"

I don't know, maybe because you're a crazy perv that thinks we're getting married. Instead of saying this, I shrug. "To make me stay here; tricking me so I don't leave."

"Go see for yourself then; it surrounds the entire property." He gestures around him, full of confidence.

What do I do? Do I go outside and leave him here? Whatever it is, something's happening here; my magic should be working.

I spin around and run through the front doors, choosing to ignore anything else he says. A blast of cold air hits me, but I barely feel it as I run down the walkway. While we were inside talking, the light snowflakes turned into a full out blizzard, already layering the ground in a few inches of snow.

I just left the house and nothing happened; either he lied and nothing's stopping me, or it's farther out.

He said I can't leave; he must be lying. He has to be! I don't know anything that can keep me leaving for that long anyways.

…Except the barriers that Freed can make.

I falter for a second, but then continue running again.

I've never known other wizards that could do that; I didn't even know there were other wizards that COULD do that.

I'm an idiot; I'm a stupid idiot. Why the heck would I come out here in the middle of the night? Alone? Why couldn't I have just caught up with Natsu?

I cover my mouth and nose with my hand as another blast of snow hits me, whipping my hair into the air and behind me. Unbelievable…the one time it snows here, it turns into an all-out blizzard. The "snow" condenses on the ground, creating a thin layer of slush. And effectively ruining my shoes.

Just as I begin to run up the hill leading away, my foot slips, throwing me off balance and to the ground. I land on my elbows and knees in the shallow slush, just before those slips too and I fall flat on my face. Which causes the water to seep into my clothes. Of course. What else could happen?

I slowly pull myself up and try to scrape the snow off with my hand, but this only makes my clothes cling tighter to my skin. Ugh, whatever.

I start running again, shuddering as the ice rips at me.

I instantly cheer up when the woods I came through come in sight. Ha! That liar! I made it all the way out here, and nothing's happened!

I'm a few feet from the edge of the woods when my body runs full force into something. Hard.

Again.

"Oh, CRAP!" I yell as I slide down to the ground, my hands and forehead sticking to whatever I hit. Oow…why do I keep doing that? Why does everything have to hurt so much? Ugh…me and my big mouth.

I lean back on my heels, rubbing what is probably soon to be a second bruise on my forehead. What the heck did I just hit?

Nothing sits in front of me. In fact I'm sitting at the end of a clearing; there's nothing that I could possibly run into.

Please don't be what I think it is please don't be what I think it is.

I hesitantly reach my hand out in front of me, but am met with a block. When I push again it nothing gives. Whatever it is, I can flatten my palm against it; when I do, black script drifts from underneath my skin and spread out along the wall, before disappearing a few feet away from me.

My heart stops beating. Oh no….oh no no no no!

I quickly stand back up and hit the invisible wall with both hands, but the same thing happens; black script.

No! This is exactly what Freed's wall looked like; well, minus the script; Freed's were purple, not black. The black looks….bad. Worse. I wonder if he got some kind of dark wizard to put it up.

"Help!" I scream, pounding on the invisible wall with my fist. "Somebody help me!" I throw my shoulder against it, but nothing changes. Crap…no, I can't be stuck here! I refuse to be stuck here! I push against it with my other shoulder, but this only ends with my feet sliding in the cold slush.

A tear rolls down my cheek, leaving a frozen path on my skin. "NO! Somebody! Anybody! HELP!" I scream, hitting the wall repeatedly. No, no I can't be stuck here. He can't keep me here.

I step back and look around. The wall must wrap around the whole estate; if that's the case, then that means I'm stuck here.

Without magic.

Until someone takes it down.

Crap.

In a desperate attempt, I pull my whip out; maybe I can strike it hard enough to do some kind of damage. When I hold it in the air though, I realize that the whip part of it isn't there. The usual glowing blue isn't there; I'm only holding a gold handle.

I smack myself on the forehead. Idiot! I got this from the spirit world, of course it wouldn't work!

"Oh god…oh god I can't be stuck here!" I yell into the air, smacking the wall again. Tears roll freely down my cheeks, but I quickly wipe them away. I can't be sad; I should be angry.

Angry at _him._

I look behind me at the brightly lit house in the distance. He knows who put this up; he'll know who to call to take it down.

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